Create

Creativity is at the center of most theatre groups, so it comes as no surprise that it was one of the first things we talked about when discussing opportunities to expand theatre in the Branson area.  We want it to be at the very center of everything we do.  We don’t want to just replicate something that has already been done.  We want to create something new, that hasn’t been done before.

And that creativity isn’t limited to what you’ll eventually see on stage.  At Prism Theatricals, creativity touches everything from the way we structured our bylaws, formed our communication strategy, and decided our first events as an organization.  It also informed our decision to never use AI in any part of our organization – because creativity comes through people, not machines.

Creativity requires flexibility and we want to be nimble and open to change.  We also know that starting from the grassroots limits resources, and that requires us to be creative as well.   It is our hope that attending a Prism event never feels stagnant – and never gets old!

We also know that creativity is all around us.  So we hope you’ll join Prism Theatricals as we begin this journey to create a safe and accessible space to present meaningful stories to our community.

Safe

If you’ve ever put yourself out there as an actor, dancer, singer, musician, writer, technical designer, or other creative, you know that creativity can be as scary as it can be freeing.  When we create, especially theatre, we have to do it with our mind, soul, body, and spirit.  It not only requires you to bring your authentic self, but puts you in a position for people to judge what you have shared.

Being creative isn’t always safe.  There are voices that tell you to be less than you are or give more than you can.  Meaningful creativity requires raw authenticity.  

As Prism Theatricals lays the groundwork to fulfill our mission to create a safe and accessible space to present meaningful stories to our community, we included the word safe because we live in world that is not always safe.  And we want to ensure that our organization doesn’t contribute to that.  We are committed to having open conversations and welcome questions and comments so that everyone involved feels seen and safe.

Creative spaces can be as competitive, critical of others, and judgmental as the other spaces in our lives, but Prism is committed to creating spaces that are safe, positive, and supportive.  This includes affirming the personhood of each participant and celebrating the diversity that exists in our community.

Accessible

Here’s the deal.  Art can be costly to create.  The ideas might come free, but all the pieces to make it a reality cost money.  Theatre is no different.  It can cost a lot of money to put on a show.  Money for scripts, sets, lights, costumes, sound, and a space to perform are the most basic needs to put on a show – and that’s before you advertise to try to get an audience.

But all those starting expenses tend to make theatre expensive because ticket prices have to cover at least some of those costs.  At Prism Theatricals, it is our mission to create a safe and accessible space to present meaningful stories to our community

To do that, we talked a lot about how to make theatre more accessible for everyone, regardless of their ability to financially contribute.  So, we set a goal to not charge for our theatrical performances.  We won’t be selling tickets because everyone deserves access to the Arts.  

Everyone also deserves to be able to participate in the Arts, so we aim to include a variety of voices, both on stage and off stage.  We believe that diversity is strength and being less dependent on ticket sales will allow us to tell stories that might not otherwise be told.

Meaningful

What makes a story worth telling?  As we at Prism Theatricals were framing our mission, we decided on the word meaningful.  We aim to create a safe and accessible space to present meaningful stories to our community.  And this was something that I am passionate about.

There are so many plays and musicals and other theatrical works in the world.  And we want to tell the ones that resonate.  The ones that our community sees themselves in.  The ones that they will carry with them after they leave the theatre.  The ones that lift them up.  And the ones that make them reflect.

We want to tell meaningful stories.  Because theatre is about more than glitz and glamour and spectacle that distracts us from our world.  Great theatre helps us see our world as it really is and how our world really could be.  It consoles, it inspires, it convicts, it soothes, it celebrates, and it helps us to remember ourselves.

Great theatre tells stories that bring meaning to our lives and to our communities – the glitz, glamour, and spectacle is just a fortunate side effect.

Stories

Everyone loves a good story.  Since the dawn of language itself, people have gathered to tell stories about their world and the worlds of their imaginations.  We tell stories about our experiences, and we listen to the stories of other people’s lives.  Storytelling is a part of what it means to be human.

There are lots of ways to tell stories, but theatre is my favorite.  Because we get to tell other people’s stories.  As an actress, it never fails that I find a little bit of myself in the characters that I play.  And I find a little bit of that character in myself.  We’re not the same, but we’re related – no matter how different our actual lives look.

At Prism Theatricals, our mission is to create a safe and accessible space to present meaningful stories to our community.  And we are excited to tell all kinds of stories – to all kinds of people.  

Because stories have always brought us together.  They’ve always taught us more than we already know.  And we can’t wait to see the stories we can tell together.

Community

At Prism Theatricals, we understand that art isn’t created in a vacuum – and that’s especially true of theatre.  

Community is what exists at the heart of creating theatre.  There are a lot of people who have to be talented in different ways to make theatre happen.  It’s not just actors on stage filling their parts.  It’s people designing lights and sound so they can be seen and heard.  It’s costumers allowing them to look their parts.  It’s directors and producers making sure all the pieces working together.

Perhaps most importantly of all, it’s an audience who is ready to not only watch, but to experience, a story.  And that is why our mission is to create a safe and accessible space to present meaningful stories to our community. 

Everyone involved in Prism Theatricals is already a part of the Branson area community.  And we want this community to be involved in all the stories that are told.  

 We want to be able to offer mutual support to other organizations in our community. And we hope to offer opportunities to develop local talent, learning from each other to write, create, and produce theatre that no other place on earth could dream of.  We know we can’t do it alone, and we don’t want to!